Doug Collins wants Spencer Hawes to be Pau Gasol for the Philadelphia 76ers – NBA News
The Los Angeles Lakers pulled through the most spectacular and unbelievable trade in recent history when they acquired All Star centre Dwight Howard from the Orlando Magic in what was a four team trade.
The move will make the Lakers one of the favourites to win the NBA championship next season, as a team which includes Kobe Bryant, Steve Nash, Pau Gasol and Dwight Howard is hard to come by and equally hard to defeat. As part of the trade, the Lakers sent their up and coming big man Andrew Bynum, who they drafted into the league and since then have developed, to the Philadelphia 76ers.
Bynum had a breakthrough season last year for the Lakers and proved that he was ready to go against some of the finest players in the league at that position. Now he is heading to Philadelphia, and the Sixers are excited to have him in their team.
At the age of 24, Bynum can become the star and franchise player of the Sixers in the future, and take on the leadership role that this team badly needs.
Bynum’s entry into the Sixers roster is definitely going to change the way they play basketball, particularly on the offense. The Sixers will look to take advantage of Bynum’s presence in the paint, and rely on feeding him the ball where he is most comfortable. The Sixers let go Andre Iguodala in order to get Bynum, which will also have an effect on their game.
With Bynum taking over the responsibilities in the centre, Sixers head coach Doug Collins says that he wants Sixers big man Spencer Hawes to move from the centre position to the power forward position, and is looking forward to experimenting with that idea next season. Hawes was the regular centre for the Sixers last season, but the arrival of Bynum has resulted in him losing that position. And Collins wants Hawes to become Pau Gasol for the Sixers, considering the fact that he is a good shooter and has decent passing skills, like Pau Gasol.
In an interview with Max Rapport of NBA.com, Collins said:
“I want (Hawes) to play the Pau Gasol role with Bynum. Both (Hawes and Gasol) like to play out on the perimeter because they can shoot the ball and are very good passers.”
Hawes averaged 9.6 points, 7.3 rebounds and 1.3 blocks per game for the Sixers last season. The new move could help him have a breakout season for the Sixers, and the addition of Bynum to the front court will greatly help him with scoring possibilities. The new look Sixers with their new strategy are creating excitement in the NBA. But until now these are all ideas and their success will only be determined when the season commences in November.
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